City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: MARCH 28, 2023 FROM: PARKS, RECREATION AND COMMUNITY WARD: 1
SERVICES DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: REJECT ALL BIDS FOR BID NO. 7914 FOR THE GAGE CANAL MULTI-PURPOSE RECREATIONAL TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT; AND AUTHORIZE STAFF TO REBID THE PROJECT WITH REVISED BID SPECIFICATIONS ISSUE:
Reject all bids for Bid No. 7914 for the Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Recreational Trail Improvements project due to the lack of available funding allocated at this time and authorize staff to rebid the project with revised bid specifications when additional funding is available.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Reject all bids for Bid No. 7914 for the Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Recreational Trail Improvements project; and Authorize staff to rebid the project with revised bid specifications when additional grant funding is awarded.
BACKGROUND:
The Gage Canal runs through the City in a City-owned water utility corridor. The City proposes to construct Phase I of the Gage Canal Trail project within an approximately two-mile stretch of the corridor starting from Palmyrita Avenue, running southwest along the edge of the Box Springs Mountain Reserve, and then south across Spruce Street ending at the UC Riverside Campus at Blaine Street. The project will include a paved asphalt bikeway with a parallel decomposed granite surface trail and landscaping, irrigation, lighting, and trail support amenities.
On October 1, 2019, the City Council adopted a resolution authorizing the submission of a grant application for the California Natural Resources Agency Urban Greening Grant Program in the amount of $3,708,509 for the design and implementation of the Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Recreational Trail Phase I.
On April 1, 2020, the City of Riverside entered into a grant agreement with the State of California Natural Resources Agency for the Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Recreational Trail Phase I in the amount of $3,708,509.
On December 14, 2021, the City of Riverside entered into a consultant agreement with Alta Planning + Design for the planning and design of the Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Recreational Trail Phase I Improvements in the amount of $532,431.65.
DISCUSSION:
On November 17, 2022, the Purchasing Division posted Bid No. 7914 on the City’s website for the construction of improvements on the Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Recreational Trail Phase I, including but not limited to an asphaltic concrete paved trail and a stabilized decomposed granite trail within an existing City-owned water utility easement. The trail improvements will feature amenities, including entry plazas, trailhead seating, bicycle racks, interpretive signage, and solar lighting.
On December 09, 2022, four bids were received. The lowest responsive bid exceeds the amount of funding currently allocated. The initial project cost estimate was developed for the grant application before the covid pandemic. Construction costs have increased since then due to several factors, including high inflation and increased labor and materials costs. The pandemic, ongoing global political issues, and wars have all contributed to supply chain issues which have led to low inventory and availability of materials. Labor shortages have required companies to pay higher rates for skilled workers, construction materials and raw materials costs have increased about 25%-75%, and transportation and tariff costs have increased, all resulting in higher prices for construction projects. In the original bid documents, the City reserved the right, in its sole discretion, to reject any bid which fails to meet bid requirements in any respect or to reject all bids for any reasons.
On January 31, 2023, the City of Riverside Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department (PRCSD) was notified by the California Department of Parks and Recreation that they were being awarded $1,400,000 in supplemental grant funding for the Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Recreational Trail Improvements project.
The Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department (PRCSD), therefore, recommends that it is in the City’s best interest to reject all bids at this time and re-advertise once the supplemental California Department of Parks and Recreation (CDPR) grant funding is available to complete this project. The proposed re-advertisement will occur once the supplemental grant funding contract is executed with CDPR and the funding has been allocated for project use by City staff.
This project fulfills a critical need in the community for free and low-cost recreational resources by building the infrastructure needed to support community health and wellness. More trails were one of the community’s most frequently expressed needs during community outreach for the 2020 Parks, Recreation and Community Services Comprehensive Master Plan. The project also supports the City’s sustainability goals by building active transportation infrastructure to reduce vehicle miles traveled, thereby reducing greenhouse gases. The project promotes use of safe active transportation modes by getting bikes and pedestrians off the vehicle roadway and onto a completely separate Class I bikeway with solar lighting.
The Purchasing Manager concurs in rejecting all bids for the construction of the Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Recreational Trail Improvements project is in compliance with Purchasing Resolution No. 23914, Section 507.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
The work contributes to Strategic Priority 1 - Arts, Culture and Recreation, and Goal 1.3, to improve parks, recreational amenities, open space, and trail development, and fulfill critical lifecycle and facility maintenance needs, and Goal 1.4, to prioritize safety at parks, trails, arts, cultural and recreational facilities.
This action aligns with each of the five Cross-Cutting Threads as follows:
Community Trust – This project is in alignment with the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Comprehensive Master Plan and Trails Master Plan which were developed with extensive community input and support. Additionally, community outreach specific to this project took place during the design planning process by means of meetings and online surveys to better understand existing usage, concerns, and amenity preferences by the community.
Equity – This project was established primarily to provide a new active transportation and recreational green space trail to provide residents with public recreational opportunities, connections to the Box Springs Reserve, and a continuous off-street connection from Palmyrita Avenue to Blaine Street. This project serves a disadvantaged community per the Urban Greening Grant program criteria.
Fiscal Responsibility – The purchasing of all services for this project is in accordance with Purchasing Resolution No. 23914. Also, the Urban Greening Grant can be utilized by the California Department of Parks and Recreation Grant funding for this project which will require no “match” to be contributed by the City.
Innovation – The PRCSD hired an experienced and well-regarded professional design consultant to design the project, and local Riverside residents were consulted to determine a design and layout that best suits the community.
Sustainability & Resiliency – By providing new access to healthy exercise and active transportation opportunities, this project improves the quality of life for all City of Riverside residents. The project is estimated to sequester 868 metric tons of CO2e from the installation of approximately 700 trees along the corridor, utilize advanced solar lighting to maintain security while saving energy by being 100% off-grid, and install water-efficient low-flow drip irrigation controlled by smart solar controllers to significantly reduce water usage.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
Prepared by: Pamela Galera, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director Certified as to
availability of funds: Edward Enriquez, Interim Assistant City Manager/Chief Financial Officer/City Treasurer
Approved by: Kris Martinez, Assistant City Manager
Approved as to form: Phaedra A. Norton, City Attorney
Attachment: Bid Award Recommendation
Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Trail – Reject All Bids ● Page 4